1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an accessory of a gas stove which functions as a removable flame heat regulating apparatus for increase of heating efficiency of the flame in cooking.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Gas stoves including the cooktops are known. The following 9 United States patents and published patent applications are the closest prior art references which are related to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,156,087 issued to Kupfer on Oct. 12, 1915 for “Flame Shield For Gas Stove” discloses a cylindrical metal tube which is used as a flame shield for a burner of the gas stove. The tube is comprised of a circular wall having an upper end and a lower end, wherein a plurality of vertical slots, preferably three, are circumferentially spaced on the wall. The slots are extending upward from the lower end of the wall to an upper position of the wall, wherein one of them is arranged to fit over the gas pipe. The flame shield is placed between the stove grids on the cooktop and a platform placed under the cooktop, wherein the upper end of the shield reaches into the plane of the undersurface of the grids, the lower end of the shield rests upon the platform, and the body of the shield surrounds the burner.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,166,442 issued to Kahn on Jul. 18, 1939 for “Cooking Stove” discloses a mechanical structure which is connected to the top of a gas burner having a plurality of gas ports and the cooktop of a stove, wherein an annular curved shield surrounds the burner adjacent the gas ports and extends upwardly and outwardly to the inside edge of the recessed shoulder of the cooktop for directing the heat from the burner toward the grate opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,187,742 issued to Power on Jun. 8, 1965 for “Combination Gas Burner Grid And Flame Shield” discloses an improved gas burner grid comprising a substantially rigid and arcuate shield to eliminate any undesirable overheating of a pan handle. The shield is placed to the radial innermost ends of the two adjacent ribs, which are among a total of 8 ribs, wherein all the ribs are circumferentially spaced onto a rigid, cast-iron ring of the circular grid. The grid is further adapted to be seated removably in the upper open end of a stationary, generally cup shaped housing having a bottom through the center of which projects a conventional gas stove burner.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,851,419 issued to Reiner on Feb. 8, 2005 for “Portable Hiking Stove” discloses an improved portable hiking stove. The stove is comprised of a base member having a plurality of air passages therethrough with an opening dimensioned to receive a burner therein, three identical side members vertically dimensioned so as to be assembled together to support the horizontal base member therebetween, and a circularly cylindrical wall acted as a wind screen having a lower bottom end from which is supported by three protrusions of the respective three side members. Each identical side member is further comprised of a plurality of air passages placed on its lower part, wherein the positions of the air passages therethrough each side member are lower than the position where the base member is supported therebetween the side members. The wind screen is further placed, wherein it upper end is positioned to be higher than the upper ends of the side members, and its lower end is positioned to be higher that the horizontal base member which is placed.
United States Patent Publication No. 2005/0115556 issued to Carson et al. on Jun. 2, 2005 for “Turkey Fryer/Outdoor Cooker Wind and Fire Guard” discloses a wind screen device for outdoor grill. The device can be assembled from a horizontal bottom plate and a series of vertical side plates to be a cuboid enclosure or wind screen. The enclosure is capable of hosting a variety of types any sizes of outdoor cooking units. The windscreen device includes at least one pair of air vent openings therethrough adjacent to a bottom edge of each side plate, and an additional opening in one of its side plates, which is designed to admit a gas hose therethrough.
United States Patent Publication No. 2004/0045542 issued to Zhou et al. on Mar. 11, 2004 is for an “Outdoor Cook Stove”. The Publication discloses a portable outdoor stove including a burner and a wind guard having an opened bottom end of cylinder shape capable of tightly coupled with a cooking vessel and possessing window opening of less than 180 degree toward its top for exhaust outlet, wherein the burner is placed at the center of the opened bottom of the wind guard.
United States Patent Publication No. 2005/0109330 issued to Pestrue et al. on May 26, 2005 for “Cooking Stove Including Invertible Support Rack, Support Rack With Dual Cooking Surfaces And Method Of Using Same” discloses a stove for outdoor use. The stove includes a hollow shell, supporting structure, and a burner assembly, operatively attached to the side of the shell, and a vessel support rack for placement on the shell.
Gas stoves are popularly used apparatus in human society. The usage of the gas stoves consumes tremendous amount of combustive gases, and also generates significant amount of carbon dioxide gases which are of total green house gases generated by human society. The modern gas stoves for the household usage can be classified to a sealed burner mounting and an opened burner mounting (see commercial stoves elsewhere), regarding the mechanical structure to affix gas burners onto the cooktops of the stoves. The former one is also illustrated from U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,759 issued to Hammel et al. on Jun. 28, 1994 for “Sealed Burner Mounting Assembly” (the Hammel Patent) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,621 issued to Gabelmann on Jan. 14, 2003 for “Sealed Gas Burner Assembly” (the Gabelmann Patent) (see FIGS. 1 and 2, and illustration in the section of Description of this Application).
However, from the illustration of the above mentioned Hammel and Gabelmann Patents, it has been discovered that there is absence of a flame heat regulating apparatus for a burner of the gas stove cooktop. The flame heat regulating apparatus can be removably placed onto the stove cooktop to surround a gas burner and support a cookware. Therefore, heat radiation and convection from flame of the gas burner can be well regulated, which are maximumly directed to heat a cookware, so that the cookware can be effectively and efficiently heated. With the aid of the present invention removable flame heat regulating apparatus, increase of the heating efficiency in cooking can be maximumly achieved. Therefore it will further bring advantages of reduction of the combustive gas consumption which is good for the cost reduction, and reduction of the green house gas production which is beneficial to the environmental protection.
There is a significant need to provide a removable flame heat regulating apparatus for a burner of a gas stove to significantly increase heating efficiency, which brings additional advantages of reduction of the combustive gas consumption and reduction of the green house gas production in cooking.